Alachua County, FL Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)

56 opens the county's floodplain development permit article with a blanket rule: any development in a flood hazard area is prohibited unless a floodplain development permit and, where applicable, a building permit is first obtained. Newly created lots must include adequate buildable area above the 100-year floodplain, and every new habitable structure on such a lot must sit outside the floodplain. 5 and reviews applications, interprets flood hazard boundaries, and coordinates with the Building Official on permit compliance. 87 layers on additional plat requirements: all building lots must have buildable area above the base flood elevation with setback lines established at that elevation, subdivisions larger than 50 lots or five acres must submit base flood elevation data, and the plat must carry a prominent notation that the lowest floor of any residential structure adjacent to an established flood hazard area or stormwater facility be elevated at least one foot above the 100-year elevation.

Road pavement in such subdivisions must be elevated to or above the ten-year floodplain elevation, and any road or driveway providing sole ingress or egress to a lot must reach the base flood elevation. Applicants seeking a floodplain development permit must submit the proposed lowest-floor elevation on the FEMA FIRM datum and, after the lowest floor is placed, a surveyor-certified elevation certification within 21 days, before further vertical construction proceeds. These rules apply throughout unincorporated Alachua County's mapped flood hazard areas and are administered alongside the Florida Building Code's flood-resistant construction requirements.